My Fascination with Streptocarpus
Hi, I’m Ferb Vu, and I’m absolutely captivated by the genus Streptocarpus. These plants, belonging to the Gesneriaceae family, are native to the Afromontane regions of central, eastern, and southern Africa, including Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. They’ve earned a special place in my heart, and I’m excited to share my enthusiasm with you.
Diverse Forms and Stunning Flowers
What I find most intriguing about Streptocarpus is their incredible diversity. Some species, like Streptocarpus saxorum, have a more traditional growth habit with stems and leaves, while others, like Streptocarpus primulifolius, form a rosette of leaves at the base. But the real showstopper is the flowers. They come in an unbelievable array of colors, from the vibrant blues of Streptocarpus cyaneus to the delicate pinks of Streptocarpus ionanthus. The intricate patterns and unique shapes of the blooms are simply mesmerizing.
A Closer Look at Some Species
The genus Streptocarpus encompasses a vast number of species, each with its own distinct characteristics. Here are:
- Streptocarpus acicularis I.Darbysh. & Massingue
- Streptocarpus actinoflorus T.J.Edwards & M.Hughes
- Streptocarpus afroviola Christenh.
- Streptocarpus albus (E.A.Bruce) I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus andohahelensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus arcuatus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus aylae T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus bambuseti B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus bampsii Eb.Fisch. & I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus baudertii L.L.Britten
- Streptocarpus beampingaratrensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus betsiliensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus bindseili Eb.Fisch.
- Streptocarpus boinensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus bolusii C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus brachynema Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus breviflos (C.B.Clarke) C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus brevipilosus (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston
- Streptocarpus brevistamineus Humbert
- Streptocarpus buchananii C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus bullatus Mansf.
- Streptocarpus burttianus Pócs
- Streptocarpus burundianus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus caeruleus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus campanulatus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus candidus Hilliard
- Streptocarpus capuronii Humbert
- Streptocarpus caulescens Vatke
- Streptocarpus compressus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus confusus Hilliard
- Streptocarpus cooksonii B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus cooperi C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus cordifolius Humbert
- Streptocarpus coursii Humbert
- Streptocarpus cyanandrus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus cyaneus S.Moore
- Streptocarpus daviesii N.E.Br. ex C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus davyi S.Moore
- Streptocarpus decipiens Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus denticulatus Turrill
- Streptocarpus diandra (Engl.) Nishii & Mich.Möller
- Streptocarpus dolichanthus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus dunnii Mast.
- Streptocarpus elongatus Engl.
- Streptocarpus erubescens Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus euanthus Mansf.
- Streptocarpus exsertus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus eylesii S.Moore
- Streptocarpus fanniniae Harv. ex C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus fasciatus T.J.Edwards &Kunhardt
- Streptocarpus fenestra-dei Weigend & T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus floribundus Weigend & T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus formosus (Hilliard & B.L.Burtt) T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus galpinii Hook.f.
- Streptocarpus gardenii Hook.
- Streptocarpus glabrifolius Humbert
- Streptocarpus glandulosissimus Engl.
- Streptocarpus goetzeanus (Engl.) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus goetzei Engl.
- Streptocarpus gonjaensis Engl.
- Streptocarpus grandis N.E.Br.
- Streptocarpus haygarthii N.E.Br. ex C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus heckmannianus (Engl.) I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus hilburtianus T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus hildebrandtii Vatke
- Streptocarpus hilsenbergii R.Br.
- Streptocarpus hirsutissimus E.A.Bruce
- Streptocarpus hirticapsa B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus hirtinervis C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus holstii Engl.
- Streptocarpus huamboensis Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus ibityensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus inconspicuus (B.L.Burtt) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus inflatus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus insularis Hutch. & Dalziel
- Streptocarpus integrifolius B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus ionanthus (H.Wendl.) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus itremensis B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus johannis L.L.Britten
- Streptocarpus kamerunensis (Engl.) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus katangensis De Wild. & T.Durand
- Streptocarpus kentaniensis L.L.Britten & Story
- Streptocarpus kimbozanus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus kirkii Hook.f.
- Streptocarpus kungwensis Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus kunhardtii T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus lanatus MacMaster
- Streptocarpus latens Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus leandrii Humbert ex B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus leptopus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus levis B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus lilliputana Bellstedt & T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus lineatus (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & M.Hughes
- Streptocarpus linguatus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus lokohensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus longiflorus (Hilliard & B.L.Burtt) T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus macropodus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus madagascaricus (C.B.Clarke) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus makabengensis Hilliard
- Streptocarpus malachiticola Eb.Fisch. & I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus malaissei Eb.Fisch. & I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus mandrerensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus mangindranensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus mannii (C.B.Clarke) Nishii & Mich.Möller
- Streptocarpus masisicnsis De Wild.
- Streptocarpus mazumbaiensis I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus mbeyensis I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus meyeri B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus michelmorei B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus micranthus C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus milanjianus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus modestus L.L.Britten
- Streptocarpus molweniensis Hilliard
- Streptocarpus monophyllus Welw.
- Streptocarpus montanus Oliv.
- Streptocarpus montigena L.L.Britten
- Streptocarpus montis-bingae Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus muscicola Engl.
- Streptocarpus muscosa C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus myoporoides Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus nimbicola Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus nitidus (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston
- Streptocarpus nobilis C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus occultus Hilliard
- Streptocarpus oliganthus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus pallidiflorus C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus papangae Humbert
- Streptocarpus parensis B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus parviflorus Hook.f.
- Streptocarpus peltatus Randrian., Phillipson, Lowry & Mich.Möller
- Streptocarpus pentherianus Fritsch
- Streptocarpus perrieri Humbert
- Streptocarpus phaeotrichus Chiov. ex B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus plantaginea Vatke
- Streptocarpus pogonites Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus pole-evansii I.Verd.
- Streptocarpus polyanthus Hook.
- Streptocarpus polyphyllus Humbert
- Streptocarpus porphyrostachys Hilliard
- Streptocarpus primulifolius Gand.
- Streptocarpus prolixus C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus prostratus (Humbert) B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus pumilus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus pusillus Harv. ex C.B.Clarke
- Streptocarpus revivescens Humbert ex B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus rexii (Bowie ex Hook.) Lindl.
- Streptocarpus rhodesianus S.Moore
- Streptocarpus rimicola Story
- Streptocarpus roseoalbus Weigend & T.J.Edwards
- Streptocarpus salesianorum Eb.Fisch. & I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus sambiranensis Humbert
- Streptocarpus saundersii Hook.
- Streptocarpus saxorum Engl.
- Streptocarpus schaijesii Eb.Fisch. & I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus schliebenii Mansf.
- Streptocarpus semijunctus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus shumensis (B.L.Burtt) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus silvaticus Hilliard
- Streptocarpus solenanthus Mansf.
- Streptocarpus stellulifer B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus stenosepalus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus stomandra B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus strigosus (Hook.f.) Nishii & Mich.Möller
- Streptocarpus suborbicularis B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus subscandens (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh.
- Streptocarpus suffruticosus Humbert
- Streptocarpus tanala Humbert
- Streptocarpus teitensis (B.L.Burtt) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus thompsonii R.Br.
- Streptocarpus thysanotus Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus trabeculatus Hilliard
- Streptocarpus tsaratananensis Humbert ex B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus tsimihetorum Humbert
- Streptocarpus ulugurensis (Haston) Haston
- Streptocarpus umtaliensis B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus vandeleurii Baker f. & S.Moore
- Streptocarpus variabilis Humbert
- Streptocarpus velutinus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus venosus B.L.Burtt
- Streptocarpus vestitus (Baker) Christenh.
- Streptocarpus wendlandii Sprenger
- Streptocarpus wilmsii Engl.
- Streptocarpus wittei De Wild.
- Streptocarpus zimmermannii Engl.
Why I Love Growing Streptocarpus
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, I find Streptocarpus incredibly rewarding to cultivate. They are relatively easy to care for, thriving in bright, indirect light and well-draining soil. Propagation is also quite simple, either through leaf cuttings or seed. I love experimenting with different methods to see which yields the best results.
Challenges and Rewards
Of course, growing Streptocarpus isn’t without its challenges. They can be susceptible to pests like mealybugs and aphids, and overwatering can quickly lead to root rot. But overcoming these obstacles makes success even more satisfying. There’s nothing quite like nurturing a plant from a small cutting to a mature specimen, bursting with colorful blooms.
The Allure of Hybridization
One of the most exciting aspects of Streptocarpus is the potential for hybridization. By carefully cross-pollinating different species, breeders have created a stunning array of hybrids with unique flower colors, patterns, and growth habits. I’m eager to delve deeper into this world and perhaps even try my hand at creating my own hybrids someday.
A Lifelong Passion
My journey with Streptocarpus has just begun, but I already know it will be a lifelong passion. The constant discovery of new species and the endless possibilities for hybridization keep me endlessly fascinated. I encourage everyone to explore the world of Streptocarpus and experience the joy these remarkable plants can bring.
